Old-time bordellos now good-time hotels

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sign for the Sutter Creek Palace, an old saloon that -- like practically every other California establishment older than a Starbucks -- claims to be a former bordello.

Sign for the Sutter Creek Palace, an old saloon that -- like practically every other California establishment older than a Starbucks -- claims to be a former bordello.

Photo: John Flinn, The Chronicle

Image 2 of 2

The Sutter Creek Palace

The Sutter Creek Palace

Old-time bordellos now good-time hotels

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

Why is it that, despite society's outward distaste for the world's oldest profession, half the hotels in California's Gold Country cheerfully proclaim the property's heritage as a former bordello? Odder still, why is almost every bed and breakfast there decorated in "bordello chic" - even if it was only a general store in a past life? Because it's fun, especially in the vague, nonthreatening, historical sense. Fortunately, there's no shortage of places in the West where you can cavort in the naughty, illicit history and atmosphere - without worrying in the morning about a prescription for penicillin. (Leave the money on the dresser, but just enough for the cleaning staff.)

1. The Sutter Creek Palace

A huge surplus of Chinese laborers allowed many Gold Rush-era towns to build underground networks of tunnels, including in Sutter Creek. One subterranean path connected the American Exchange Hotel to a nearby saloon with a six-room bordello upstairs, now the Sutter Creek Palace and Restaurant. The tunnel is bricked-up now, but the trap door that admitted "upstanding citizens" to the ladies parlor back in the day is still there. 76 Main St., Sutter Creek; (209) 267-1300; www.thesuttercreekpalace.com.

2. Gay Nineties

Pizza Co.

Let's just say this building has been connected to the business of delivery for some time. What is now a popular pizza parlor was built by Wells Fargo in 1864 with a bank downstairs and guest rooms upstairs, which eventually became brothel quarters. A tunnel that connected the building to the nearby Pleasanton Hotel - allowing "patrons" to visit in secrecy - is now the pizza parlor's wine cellar. 288 Main St., Pleasanton; (925) 846-2520; www.gay ninetiespizza.com.

3. The Monte

Cristo

Instead of being recycled from some other use, the Monte Cristo was built in 1875 for the express purpose of being a brothel and saloon. (Of course, in some San Francisco neighborhoods you'd be hard-pressed to find a building that survived the quake that wasn't a brothel at some point.) The comfort house served as a comfort to survivors of the 1906 quake and fire. Owners added to the building in 1912 but, according to the hotel's Web site, "If you peek through a skylight on the second floor you can still see the painted letters of the original Monte Cristo sign." 600 Presidio Ave., San Francisco; (888) 666-1875 or (415) 931-1875; www.montecristosf .com.

4. CatHouse

Lounge

The closest thing these days to Las Vegas' famed red-light district (other than casino bars) is CatHouse, a restaurant-lounge-nightclub "inspired by the rich opulence of a 19th century European bordello." It's more about teasing than pleasing: Dancers wander the floor in whispers of lingerie, a woman in a booth changes clothes behind a sheer curtain and photos of Victorian-era prostitutes line the walls. (Although, oddly, there's black tape over the naughty bits to satisfy Sin City's strict laws about nudity. Um, sure.) CatHouse is inside the Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. South, (877) 386-4658; www.cathouselv.com.

5. The Inn

at Tres Pinos

Thanks to a Southern Pacific line that dropped off a few thousand people (mostly men) per day in the late 1800s, Tres Pinos was rich in businesses providing services, including (of course) a bordello. The building, now a San Benito County landmark, houses a relatively sophisticated restaurant serving continental cuisine and plenty of local wines. The town (which has 100 fewer people than it did in 1875), is 5 miles south of Hollister on the road to Pinnacles National Monument. 6991 Airline Hwy., Tres Pinos; (831) 628-3320; www.tres pinosinn.com.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.